The Son of the Last Jew

Playwright Yoav Michaeli

THE SON OF THE LAST JEW

Based on an episode from Yoram Kaniuk’s monumental book "The Last Jew." Boaz is a young officer who returns from the war with shell shock and trauma, overwhelmed with guilt over his friend and subordinate Menachem, who died in his arms. He contacts Menachem's family, who find it difficult to go on with their lives. Standing before this grief, Boaz forges a poem allegedly written by Menachem and creates a new and heroic image of Menachem for them. Against his will, Boaz turns into a kind of "memorial business." At the same time a relationship begins to develop between him and Menachem’s fiancee. What is best, to live with a lie that keeps you living? Or face a truth which is unbearable to live with? The play touches the core of Israeli society and raises questions about commemoration, memory, war and bereavement.

THE TRAUMA AND UNSPEAKABLE AFTERMATH OF WAR, IN A CONTEXT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

In an age of almost perpetual war, we need to grapple with what it leaves behind. Yoav does it in a place that makes us think differently about PTSD.

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Yoav Michaeli is a playwright, award-winning director, and founding partner of the Beer Sheva Fringe Theatre, where he has been doing most of his recent writing and directing, for audiences of all ages.BA in acting, MFA in directing; Department of Theatre Arts, Tel Aviv University. Teaches acting at the L & L Goodman Theatre and Acting School of the Negev and Sapir Academic College. Artistic director and founding partner of the Beer Sheva Fringe Theatre.

Winner of Best Director 2015 at the "Golden Porcupine" Israeli fringe awards, for "BPolar"- a modern visual non-verbal adaptation of "Diary of a Madman" by Gogol. His plays and shows took part in "Isradrama" & "International Exposure" projects.

Directed in many various theaters and capacities across Israel. In 2007, he founded his own theatre company, with which he presented his first play, “Bigamist”, at ZOA house in Tel Aviv. His second play, “Princess Mary 7”, was produced at the Beit Lessin repertory theatre with great success. The “Son of the Last Jew" is his first play translated into English.

Since founding the Beer Sheva Fringe Theater in 2010, primarily writes and directs for "Ayit" Ensemble, the house company.